The Flight of a Feather
by Laurie Broden
Summary: Lily's life is plain and simple, except when it came to James. How can one feather change the way Lily acts towards James?
1. The Feather

A/N: Yes, I am writing another Lily and James book. I hope you like it. Please read my other story, True Bliss. Also, I would really appreciate it if you all would review after you read this. Thank you!  
  
The Flight of a Feather  
  
Chapter One  
  
James Potter always wrote to Lily Evans over the summer holidays, even if he got nothing in return; This summer was no exception. James wanted his letters to be special, so he sent them in ways girls would marvel. Lily hated this. She knew that it was sweet and thoughtful, and that's what bothered her. Sometimes she found it hard to give James the cold shoulder. She desperatly wanted to be able to be herself around him. She knew he had changed since he matured in the second year, but before them, he was as arrogant as ever. But she couldn't start liking him now. What would people say?  
  
She sighed when she saw an envelope sitting outside her window. She got out of bed and walked towards the window. She loosened the window hatch and opened the window, leaning out and breathing in the morning air.  
  
She gazed around the country side and around the green feilds with dandilions covering a large fraction of the grass. Even though dandilions were weeds, Lily loved them. She liked their size and color, and she often tucked them behind her ear. The bright yellow and dark red looked wonderful together, making Lily's appearence overwhelmingly beautiful.  
  
Lily looked down at the envelope, which was an off-white color and had nothing written on it. Lily opened it and pulled out its contents; A single feather with a ribbon tied to it. Lily's eyes gittered when she saw the light pink ribbon. James had carefully taken it from her hair without her noticing; That is, until, his best friend, Sirius Black, had gave him away. Yet James still managed to keep it, and Lily had forgotten about the ribbon until now.  
  
Lily smiled and walked over to her bed. She bent down and pulled out an old shoebox, which had every letter or item James had ever sent to Lily. Lily carefully placed the feather in the box and pulled out an item that was already in the box; James' shoelace. Lily's smile turned into a grin when she remembered how she stole it.  
  
Lily was still mad at James for stealing her ribbon. She was searching for an empty compartment to change in. She opened one compartment door and saw James in it alone, sleeping. She had the perfect way of getting revenge. She gently removed his shoelace without him noticing, and replaced it with a licorice stick. James hadn't noticed until he smelled it when it started melting in the sun.  
  
Lily chuckled at the memory. She picked up the feather again and removed her ribbon and used it to tie her hair back. She then tied James' shoelace around the feather the way James had tied her ribbon around it and set it on her bedside table.  
  
She smelled the scent of french toast from downstairs. Lily opened the cage door of her owl, Hazel, so that the bird could stretch its wings. Lily quickly put the lid on her box and pushed it into its hiding place before rushing down the stairs to eat her breakfast.  
  
Hazel looked at the feather and nipped at it. She recongnized the feather's scent from James' owl, Hope. Hazel spent time with Hope in the owlry during school. Hazel hooted apprecitivly, before picking up the feather and soaring off in search of her Hogwarts friend.  
  
Lily sat down at the wooden kitchen table. "Good morning!" she said brightly to her sister, Petunia, and her mother. Petunia grunted. "Good morning, Lily. Did you have a nice sleep?" her mother asked while serving her daughters toast. "Oh, yes. I slept excellent. Did dad leave for work already?" Lily asked and poared maple syrup on her breakfast. "Yes I'm afraid so. You'll see him tomorrow, don't worry." Mrs. Evans said and smiled warmly.  
  
Mrs. Evans turned to Petunia, who was reading a book. "Would you like seconds, dear?" Mrs. Evans asked. "No thanks, mum." Petunia answered and walked up to her room, her eyes not leaving the page. Lily quickly ate her food and drank her orange juice. "Mum? I'm going to go take a walk again after I get ready." Lily said and stood up. "Alright. Could you pick me some more flowers? The one's you got me last week are wilting." Lily's mother asked, gesturing towards a glass vase on the counter. Lily smiled, "Sure, mum. Would you like me to stop at the villiage and get you some milk or something?" "Sure, milk would be great. A few eggs and a watermelon couldn't hurt either." Mrs. Evans said and started scrubbing the kitchen table. "Ok." Lily said and dashed up the stairs.  
  
Lily combed her perfectly straight hair absentmindedly, thinking about her last visit to the villiage.  
  
'What? Why are you here?' Lily asked. 'I was about to ask you the same thing. I live about twenty miles from here, in the city. I never knew you lived around here!" James said, hardly believing his luck. "I live ten miles from here, down in the country. I only come here once in awhile. But twenty miles? Don't you have your own market? Or are you just here to get girls?" Lily asked and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't be like that, Lily. You know, it wouldn't hurt being nice to me once in awhile. I've changed since-" "Don't start making another one of those speeches you always make in your letters, Potter. I have things to do." Lily said and marched off, daring to believe that James only live thirty miles away.  
  
Lily braided her hair so she had two long braids hanging down on either side. She had two strands of hair framing her face. She carefully inserted gold hoop earrings in the holes in her ears. She put on a red tank top and denim shorts. But no matter how hot it was outside, she always wore her sneakers. Her feet had stopped growing when she was eleven years old. She had very small feet which people made fun of daily. Lily knew they were just kidding, but she hated it when people comented her height. 'Five feet and two inches isn't that short, is it?' she thought to herself.  
  
Lily looked over at her bedside table and her eyes widened when her feather was gone. 'What if James saw it and got the wrong idea?' She relaxed, 'What are the chances that James could get hold of it?'  
  
Hazel tapped at James' window continuisly. She knew James was awake, he was just too lazy to open the window. She heard Hope screech loudly and her eyes glittered satisfactorily when she saw James emerge from his blankets and stumble over towards the window.  
  
James wasn't surprised to see Hazel outside his window. The owl often came to visit Hope, but never brought anything from Lily; until now. He saw the feather he sent to Lily clutched in Hazel's mouth. "What the-?" James saw that the pink ribbon was removed and replaced with a shoelace, his shoelace! He took the feather from the owl's mouth and examined it. It was definatley the same feather he sent Lily, and it was definatly his shoelace. 'What does this mean?' James thought, sitting down on his bed. He finally made up his mind to write to Lily.  
  
Dear Lily,  
  
Today I woke up with Hazel, your owl, tapping at my window. I wasn't too surprised because she visits Hope often. I was pretty shocked when I saw what Hazel was holding, though. It's strange. I sent you your ribbon that I stole, and you sent me my shoelace that you stole. I was wondering what it meant, and I hope you had good intentions when you sent it. Anyway, I hope you have been having a nice summer. It would mean a lot to me if you replied this time. I'll see you at school!  
  
Yours only,  
James 'is cool' Potter  
  
James sealed the letter and handed it to Hazel. "You know who it's for." he told her. Hazel hooted softly and took flight out the window. James knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, but he couldn't help but wonder if Lily was starting to realize that he waasn't as bad as she thought he was.  
  
Lily was about to walk through her bedroom door when she felt something fluffy crash into the back of her head. "Hazel! You have got to stop doing that!" Lily said and rubbed her head. Hazel dropped James' letter on Lily's head and flew into her cage. Lily's eyes widened as she unfolded the letter and read the first few sentences. When she finished the letter, she looked up and glared at her owl. "You did this." Hazel hooted innocently, "No treats for you tonight." Lily muttered and locked Hazel in her cage. Lily walked over to her bed and sat down, thinking. 'A reply wouldn't hurt. He's so sweet. I don't care what people say, as long as I'm with James. Oh, how could I forget. He'd leave me faster then you could say 'arrogant'. Damnit, James! Why do you have to be so complicated! I guess I'll reply. But only to see if he can be serious about a relationship.' Lily thought and sat down in front of her desk. "I don't want to sound desperate. Maybe I should just tell him that I meant nothing. Or just tell him the truth..." Lily mumbled to herself as she pulled out some parchment and a quill. It seemed like hours to Lily, when she finally came up with a response:  
  
Dear James,  
  
Don't get your hopes up, I meant nothing by sending you the shoelace and feather. I just simply didn't want your filth in my room anymore. Look, if you want me to go out with you, you have to prove to me that you can handle a long turn relationship and that this isn't some sort of sick joke. If you prove that to me, I promise to fall madly in love with you (Sarcasim). James, give it up. You can't handle relationships. I doubt you can even list ten girls in this school that you haven't snogged. Please, just stop making my simple life complicated.  
  
Yours never,  
Lily 'is cooler' Evans  
  
Lily read through the letter and knew it sounded harsh. But that was the way she wanted James to think of her. Lily opened Hazel's cage again and handed the owl the letter she wrote. Lily was about to leave her room so she could go to the market, but decided she would wait for James' reply.  
  
James heard the familiar tapping on the window. "Not again..." James muttered as he threw off his covers and walked of to his window. He opened it up and Hazel flew in, dropping a letter by James' feet. James looked at the letter and picked it up with shaky hands. Lily had never written to him before. He opened the letter and read it carefully. "She wants me to prove it to her? Interesting..." James mumbled as he read the letter for the second time. He eagerly wrote to Lily for the second time that day:  
  
Dear Lily,  
  
Thank you for your reply! I don't think I could have been more shocked to recieve it. So you want me to prove to you how much I love you? You want me to prove that I can handle a relationaship? I thought I did that in my letters. But if that isn't enough, then I am willing to do what it takes to win your heart. By the way, you wanted me to list ten girls I haven't snogged:  
  
1. Lily Evans (Your the best!)  
2. Kim Ashcroft  
3. Tanya McGlory  
4. Jamie Florins  
5. Fran Dewack (Can you say nerd?)  
6. Teresa Barington  
7. Danielle Chestey  
8. Grace Conelly  
9. Nancy Thoraul  
10. Rachel Givens  
  
Love From,  
James 'alright, you're way cooler' Potter  
  
Lily read the letter with a disbelieving expression on her face. She furiously scribbled her reply:  
  
Dear James,  
  
I didn't mean for you to actually list ten girls, you dolt! I was simply stating that you are a player in a unique form. You are seriously desperate, why don't you just give up? You only 'love' me because I'm 'hard- to-get'. No matter how many times you say it, I am NOT more special then anyone at Hogwarts! In fact, I am less special. You seem like the perfect guy, James! But you just seem too good to be true. You are a fake, James, and THAT is why I don't like you. Please stop doing this to me. Don't bother replying, I'm going to the market and I'm not reading any more of your stupid letters.  
  
From,  
Lily Evans  
  
Lily threw the letter at Hazel and ran out the door to the villiage. James is just too good. Although she wouldn't admit it to him, she thought that she didn't deserve a guy like James. She just wanted him out of her life. Lily walked outside and ran across an open feild. She slowed down and picked up a dandilion. She twirled it in her fingers before carefully placing it behind her ear. She walked the rest of the way humming her favorite tune. Beautiful days like this day always cheered Lily up, no matter how depressed she got.  
  
James looked Lily's letter. 'So you're going to the villiage, eh?' James grinned and threw on some jeans and a T-shirt before running out the door, grabbing his broomstick on the way out. James was going to pay Lily a little visit at the market.  
  
A/N: Yep, this is the first chapter. Hopefully it's kind of long. Look forward to the second chapter. Lucky for you, I don't abandon my books (- cough cough to those authors that do-) 


	2. Apple Tree

A/N: As soon as I read Loraliant Angelisa Snape's review, I knew I wanted to change this chapter. I hope you find it more satisfactory. Thank you to all my reviewers!

Chapter Two  
  
Lily skipped a little and squinted her eyes.  
  
She saw a tree a few yards away and decided to take a break and rest under the shade of the tree.

Lily always did this when she was tired.  
  
She walked over to the tree and sat down on the dew-stained grass.  
  
Lily picked an apple from a low branch and bit in to, thinking.

She remembered how mad she was at Petunia the last time she came to this tree.  
  
_"Petunia! That's my personal stuff!" Lily yelled when she caught Petunia looking through her shoebox. _

_"Who's James?" Petunia asked, reading one of the letters. _

_"Petunia, get out! I respect your privacy, why can't you respect mine?" Lily yelled and grabbed the box away from her sister. _

_Petunia was still reading the letter. _

_Lily was about to snatch it away from her, when she saw tears forming in Petunia's eyes. _

_"Petunia? What's wrong?" Lily asked quietly. _

_"How is it that someone like you has everything? The looks, the smarts, you even have a boyfriend!" Petunia screeched, waving the letter around madly. _

_"Petunia, are...are you jealous?" Lily asked, shocked. _

_Lily rubbed Petunia's back in a sisterly way and gently removed the letter from Petunia's hands. _

_"Please stay out of my stuff from now on, OK Petunia?" Lily asked her younger sister. _

_"Get away from me, you freak!" Petunia yelled and jumped away from Lily. _

_"_Freak_? Petunia, are you talking about my witchcraft?" Lily asked angrily. _

_Petunia stuffed her fingers in her ears and hummed. _

_"Just because I have a magical ability doesn't mean that I'm some sort of...lunatic!" Lily screeched and ran outside, taking her box with her. _

_She ran all the way to the tree and sat down. _

_Lily wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at the letter Petunia had been reading:  
_  
Dear Lily,  
  
Hi Lily! How are you? I hope you're having a good summer. Mine has been miserable without you. I wish I could see you. Maybe we could meet at the villiage sometime? Well, I have to go now. Don't forget me over the summer, alright?  
  
Missing you,  
James  
  
Lily smiled as she remembered the letter.

She memorized it by now and sometimes recited it to herself when she was in a bad mood.  
  
"Hey there, Lils."  
  
Lily jumped and dropped her apple when she heard James' voice behind her.  
  
"James! You scared me!" she said and turned around to see the grinning sixteen-year-old holding a broomstick.  
  
Lily narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "What are you doing here, anyway?"  
  
"I wanted to see you." James said a smiled.

Lily felt her heart melt, and she couldn't help but return the smile.  
  
"Need a lift?" He offered, holding out his broomstick.  
  
Lily glanced nervously at the broomstick, "I'm...I'm afraid of heights." she said.  
  
"So?" James asked stupidly.  
  
"Use your overly-large head and figure it out, Potter! I have to go now." Lily said and stood up.  
  
"Aw, c'mon, Lily!" James pleaded.  
  
Without waiting for a reply, he picked her up and placed her on his broom that was now floating in the air.  
  
"No! James, don't!" she screeched.  
  
"Relax, Lily." James said and he climbed on behind her.  
  
"No! James, let me down NOW!" Lily said and slid off the broom.  
  
She straightened up.

"Leave me alone." she said and walked off.  
  
James flew up next to her.

"Please Lily! You know how much easier it will be. Just give me a chance! I swear, there is nothing better then the feeling you have when you first fly on a broomstick." James said as he flew beside her.

The first thought Lily had was that there was a better feeling: being in love beat flying any day.  
  
Lily ignored him for ten minutes before she felt like another break.  
  
"Y'know, Lily, I would gladly give you a lift." James said persuasively.  
  
Lily eyed his broom and grinned evily, but she soon covered it up with an innocent expression.  
  
James got off his broom and sat down next to her.  
  
"So, Lily. What are you going to do at the market?" James asked while tossing an apple to himself.  
  
"I'm going to buy a few things." She replied.  
  
Lily looked behind James, "What does he think he's doing?"

Lily exclaimed at a non-existent person behind James.  
  
James looked over his shoulder, "Lily, I don't see any-"  
  
"Thanks for the broom!" Lily interupted.  
  
James looked up at where the voice came from and saw Lily riding his broom, just beyond reach.  
  
"Hey! I thought you were afraid of heights!" James exclaimed while jumping to his feet.  
  
"I lied." Lily said simply.  
  
"Most girls can't lie to the face of James Potter." James said proudly.  
  
"Yeah? Well I'm not like most girls, Potter." Lily said and flew off towards the villiage, leaving James helpless in the middle of nowhere.

James scratched his head stupidly.

'How thick can I get?' he thought miserably and bit into his apple.

'I'll just wait for Lily here.' James thought and settled down on the warm grass.

He felt his eyelids droop and the last thing he remembered was seeing a bird fly over him.

A/N: Better? Let's hope...


	3. The Market

A/N: Hi, Readers! I know I haven't updated for awhile, but I have been preparing to perform in a performance soon, and I have been rehearsing like crazy! Please forgive me! (To those of you who read True Bliss as well, the eleventh chapter will be up very soon)  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Lily picked up an empty basket and tucked it under her arm.

She had just landed gracefully on the ground in the villiage outside the place where wizards and witches eat; The Patronus Cafe.

To make sure muggles don't enter the cafe by mistake, the owners of the cafe placed a charm similar to the one on 12 Grimwauld Place. Lily stepped between the butcher's shop and the hat store and concentrated on the Patronus Cafe. An old green door appeared in front of Lily and she opened it, looking around.

Inside was the familiar scent of coffee and the soft chatter of a few witches and wizards discussing what they recently read in the Daily Prophet. Lily smiled at the familiar shop and stpped through the doorway, still carrying her basket and James' broomstick.  
  
Lily sat down alone at a table and the friendly waitress, Jane, walked over and sat down across from Lily.

"Hello, Lily, nice to see you again." the brunette greeted.

Lily smiled warmly at the waitress, "Hello Jane. How has business been?" Lily asked politly.

"Slow. As usual." Jane replied and sighed.

Jane had chocolaty brown eyes and looked rather younger then her actual age, which was 24.

"Well, be glad you get any customers at all." Lily mock-scolded.

Jane gave a dry laugh and stood up again.

"Would you like me to get you anything?" Jane asked professionaly.

"No, thanks, Jane. I just came here to buy a few things for my mum." Lily replied.

Jane nodded and sat back down.

"So, has anything interesting happened lately?" Jane asked.

Lily sighed and wondered if she should tell the gossipy waitress about James. Jane was like a sister to Lily, but she's also known for her rather gossipy personatlity.

"Well, there's this boy at school, and he has always been pestering me. He's rather obnoxious and arrogant. He thinks he's great because he's a good Quidditch player, is, well, rather smart, he thinks he's good looking, which I disagree with, and he's popular." Lily said in one breath and gasped for air.

Jane sighed dreamily.

"He sounds like my dream guy." Jane said.

Lily looked scandilized. "No, no, no! He's a prankster, he's broken about every school rule, and has got more detentions then anyone except for maybe his best friend, Sirius Black."

Jane's eyes widened. "I think I've seen him before." Jane said.

"What? How? Where?" Lily asked.

Jane chuckled at the memory.

"He came here once, along with his friend you were talking about just now."  
  
_"This is boring, let's just go back to your house." Sirius complained as James dragged him into the cafe. _

_"Shut up, Padfoot. Didn't you say you were hungry?" James asked as they sat down. _

_"I'm starving!" Sirius exclaimed. _

_"Then why do you think we came here?" James asked impaciently. _

_Sirius looked confused while he was piecing the information together. _

_"Oh!" Sirius said finally. _

_James rolled his eyes and looked up to see the waitress looking at Sirius like he was crazy. James cleared his throat loudly. The waitress seemed to snap back to reality and she took her notepad out of her pcket and read aloud from it. _

_"Hello, my name's Jane, and I will be serving you. Our special for the day is broccili soup. What would you like for drinks?" she asked in a steady drone. _

_"We would just like-" James started but Sirius interupted. _

_"Hello, Jane. May I remark at how stunning your eyes look?" Sirius asked and flashed her a charming smile. _

_Jane blushed a little bit but recovered quickly and asked, "How old are you?" _

_"Seventeen." Sirius answered proudly. _

_"What did you say your name was?" _

_"Sirius Black..." _

_"__Well, Sirius Black, I happen to be eight years older than you, so I don't think it would work out." Jane remarked and turned to James. _

_"What did you say you wanted to order?" When she finally left the table, Sirius was in awe. _

_"Did you know she was 24? She looks our age!" Sirius exclaimed, not bothering to keep his voice down, causing angry glances to be thrown their way. _

_"Let's just leave." James suggested, trying to keep a straight face. _

_"But we haven't eaten yet!" Sirius exclaimed. _

_James just dragged Sirius out of the cafe leaving Jane laughing her head off._  
  
"Sirius flirted with you? Gross!" Lily exclaimed with a disgusted expression on her face.

Jane laughed, "Sirius was quite charming for his age. But his friend didn't look so bad either, with his messy black and and warm brown eyes..." Jane said in a dreamy voice.

"Yep, that's James alright." Lily said.

"Anyway, what about James?" Jane asked, asking Lily to continue her story.

"Well, he lives thirty miles away from me, so on my way here, he came along and offered me a ride on his broom..." Lily said.

"Aw! How sweet!" Jane interupted. Jane looked at Lily's narrowed eyes and blushed.

"Sorry, continue." Jane insisited and rested her head on her hand.

"As I was saying, he offered me a ride. Instead of riding with him, I stole his broom and rode here by myself!" Lily said and laughed, holding up the broom she was holding.

Jane looked at it in awe.

"That's a Golden-Spear 480!" she exclaimed in shock .Lily looked at the broom and shrugged, "It does ride pretty well." Lily said and let Jane hold the broom.

"Lily, this is the fastest broom made! Do you know how expensive these are?" Jane asked while examining the broom.

"No, do you?" Lily asked.

"Well, no. But I heard their worth a lot. Lily, is James rich?" Jane asked excitedly. "Yes, he's filthy rich. It's disgusting how he thinks that money means everything-" Lily started but Jane interupted.

"Lily, shut up about James for a second. Do you think I could have a go on this?" Jane asked anxiously. Lily looked around. "Where? You can't do it outside, muggles might see." Lily pointed out. Jane's face fell.

"Look, if you ask for a day off, you could ride it home with me." Lily suggested. Jane's face lifted, "Oh, I already know I can have the day off. There's still Annie." Jane replied, referring to another waitress.

"Ok, I'll come get you after I finish shopping and we can ride to my house. I'm sure my mum will let you stay for dinner." Lily said. Jane nodded and hugged Lily. "Thanks Lil, I owe you." Jane said and pulled away. Lily laughed and stood up to leave.

"See you in a bit!" Lily said and left, charming the broom so it would fit in her pocket.

Lily walked out and breathed the market air. She looked around at the stalls and finally found one owned by a women named Sharon Youlder.

"Hello, Mrs. Youlder." Lily said sweetly to the women.

"Hello Lily, what is it you have come to buy today?" The kind women asked. "Milk and eggs, and then I'm going over to Mrs. Tarupt's stall for a watermelon." Lily replied and gave Mrs. Youlder her basket. The women put a carton of milk and a carton of eggs in the basket and handed it back to Lily. Lily pulled out some muggle money and payed the women before wandering off in search of Eliza Tarupt's stall.

When Lily finally reached the stall, she found that Eliza Turupt's son and daughter were running the stall without her.

"Hello John and Rose. Where's your mother?" Lily asked them. Both smiled warmly at her before answering. "She left me in charge while she does her own shopping. I have to look after Rose, too." The eighteen-year-old boy answered, motioning towards his ten-year-old sister. Lily nodded and asked for a watermelon.

After John handed her a fresh watermelon and Lily payed him, Lily performed a charm to make the watermelon lighter, making sure nobody saw her performing the spell.  
  
Lily decided she would pick flowers for her mum on the way home and went back between the buildings to go into the Patronus Cafe.

Lily walked in and stood face-toface with Sirius Black.

"Sirius?" she stuttered. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Sirius took a step back before answering. "I'm looking for James. You wouldn't know where he is would you?" Sirius asked worridly.

"Are you staying with him over the summer?" Lily asked. Sirius nodded. Lily laughed, "What a way to treat your guests." she muttered.

"You still haven't answered my question." Sirius said impaciently.

"I stole his broom an left him stranded in the middle of nowhere." Lily replied, holding up his broom.

Sirius laughed.

"I was going to give Jane a ride. Could you please not tell him?" Lily asked.

Sirius shrugged, "Alright, I won't tell." Sirius said and pushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. Someone started laughing behind them and Sirius spun around to see Jane bent over from laughing so much.

"Hello there, Mr. Black." Jane said and calmed herself down.

"Not you." Sirius said, cowering behind Lily.

Lily looked at Sirius and then Jane.

"Jane, something tells me that you left something out of your story about Sirius." Lily said suspoiciously.

Jane laughed, "Well, right after he flirted with me," Sirius blushed as Jane said this, "I hexed him so that the words 'I'm an ass' appeared on his forhead. He didn't know about it until after he left here." Jane said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

"It wasn't funny." Sirius muttered and looked at his shoes.

"Anyway, let's go, I'm dieing to ride one that broom!" Jane said, jumping up and down.

"You're not very mature for your age." Sirius told Jane. "Neither are you." Jane retorted. Sirius opened his mouth, and then closed it.

Lily ignored them and dragged Jane out of the shop and into the muggle villiage.

When the two finally reached a clearing, they both mounted the broom and took flight.

Jane let out yells of joy the whole ride.

Lily glanced at the tree they were flying to and recongnized it as the tree she left James at. Just then she remembered she had to pick flowers for her mum.

"Jay, we have to land for a second, alright?" Lily told Jane, who was now whooping in the air. Jane nodded and they landed softly on the ground by the tree. They spotted James, who was sleeping peacfully in the tree's shade. They walked up to him and kneeled down beside him.

"James?" Lily said softly. James stirred and opened his eyes. The first thing he realized was that his glasses fell off while he was sleeping. He looked up and saw two blurry faces looking at him. He felt someone put on his glasses for him and he blinked. He found himself face-to-face with Lily and the waitress he met two weeks ago. "Lily?" He asked groggily.

He rubbed his eyes from behind his glasses and looked at the waitress. "Why is she here?" he asked. Lily and Jane looked slightly annoyed. "This is Jane, my friend. She's going to be staying for dinner with me tonight, so she's walking with me to my house." Lily explained.

"Aren't you gonna invite me for dinner?" James asked. Lily rolled her eyes and stood up.

"You can have your broom back. Sirius has been looking fo you, so you should get home soon." Lily said and started picking random flowers. James was too drowsy to object so he climbed onto his broom lazily. "Don't fall off your broom." Jane told him as she watched his sleepy state. James just nodded and took flight.

"Bye, Lily!" James called. Lily rolled her eyes and continued picked flowers.

"Lily, I think James has a crush on you." Jane remarked.

Lily snorted, "I never would have guessed." Lily replied, not able to keep the smirk from her face.  
  
A/N: Please reveiw! I'm sorry this took so long, but as I said before, I've been terribly busy. Please reveiw, it really means a lot to me!


	4. Jane Remembers

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews! Getting reviews really cheers me up, so now I'm in a good mood :) I'm so sorry about not updating in awhile...it's amazing how someone as young as me can be so busy! Ok, that's about all I have to say. On with the story!   
  
Chapter Four  
  
Lily and Jane walked along the dirt path, each holding a bunch of flowers in their hands. Lily listened as Jane spoke.

Jane was quite the talkative person.

"...So then I was like 'What would you like for drinks?', and the guy was like 'I'll just have some ice water.', and I was like, 'Ok, I'll be right back.' and he was like 'Okay...' and then I walked up to the cute bartender and was like...." Lily coughed loudly and Jane realized that they reached Lily's little house. Jane grinned sheepishly as she realized how much she had been talking.

"Why don't we continue this conversation after lunch?" Lily asked politly. Jane smiled and nodded. Lily and Jane walked into the house and Jane looked around. Jane had been here many times before, but she loved looking at the colorful glass sculptures that Lily's mother collected and placed arounf the house, giving the house a beachy feel to it.

Lily walked up to the stairs and yelled up to her mum, "Mom! Is it alright if Jane stays for the rest of the day?" Mrs. Evans walked down the stairs tiredly and wiped her forhead. "Yes that's fine, Lily. Hello, Jane. It's so nice to see you again." Mrs. Evans said and smiled warmly at Jane. "Here, Mum. Do you like them?" Lily asked and handed her mother the flowers she was holding. Jane did the same.

"Oh yes, their lovely, thank you." her mother answered and pulled out a vase and placed the flowers inside of it. "Make yourselves at home." Lily's mother said while washing her hands, preparing to cook dinner. "When you're hungry, there's lunch in the fridge." Mrs. Evans said and dried er hands off. "Oh, I'll get it!" Jane said excitedly. She ran over to the fridge, opened the door, and peered inside of it.

Lily laughed; it was amusing watching Jane marvel at the muggle invention. "Jane, honey, I said when you're hungrey." Mrs. Evans said. Jane smiled sheepishly and closed the door. "We'll just be in my room." Lily said and dragged Jane up the stairs. When the two got in the neat room, Jane said, "Is your room ever messy?" Lily laughed and plopped on the bed. Jane walked over to Lily's open window and saw a letter on the window sill. Jane looked at Lily, who was taking a nap, and grinned evily. Jane carefully opened the letter and read it:  
  
_Dear Lily,  
  
I can't believe you stole my broom! You are always full of surprises. Your last letter meant nothing to me, and I will keep on trying to win your heart no matter what you say in real life or in letters. I won't let you go.  
  
Forever Yours,  
James_  
  
Jane's grin vanished and she read the letter over. _'How sweet!_' Jane thought. Jane looked around Lily's room. Everything was neat and tidy, except there was something sticking out from under the bed. Jane checked to make sure Lily was still sleeping and looked under her bed. Jane pulled out an old shoebox and looked inside; It was filled with jewlery, dried flowers (mostly lilies), two notebooks, a little wooden box, and a bunch of letters. Jane opened one of the notebooks and flipped through the pages; it was filled with poems written by James. Jane looked at the back of the book where she read:  
  
_When I look in your eyes, _

_I see that your happiness dies. _

_I want to make you believe _

_I don't want you to leave. _

_I want you to understand _

_That you're what makes me stand. _

_Lily, without you _

_I can't be true. _

_What more can I say _

_When you look my way _

_I love you more then anyone could, _

_If only you understood._  
  
Jane read the poem over and looked at Lily's sleeping form. Why doesn't she like James? Or maybe she does, she just won't admit it. Jane opened the second notebook and realized that it was Lily's diary. Jane opened to a random page and read the entry:  
  
_Dear Journal,  
  
Today James sent me another letter. It was really sweet. He said he just wanted a chance, and I really want to give him that chance. But what if I end up like all of the other girls he dated? As soon as he knows my real feelings for him, he'll move on to the next person. But then he said that he's different. He wanted to prove it to me. So you know what he did? He sent me lilies and roses. They were absolutly beautiful. He also sent me a little wooden box. But if you open it...I can't explain it. You'd have to open it to understand.  
_  
Jane put the diary down and picked up the little wooden box. She opened and immediatly knew what Lily was talking about; She opened it and a wonderful scent filled the air. Jane felt like everything was okay. Then she heard a voice singing. The voice belonged to a women, but she wasn't singing words. Jane was reminded of the phoenix's song. Then a Jane remembered her best memories.

Jane saw a boy named Tucker handing her flowers.

She saw her mother being cured from her fatal illness.

She saw her brother, Harry, swimming in the lake with her.

She saw her little sister Emma on Emma's fourth birthday.

She saw Tucker and herself in the park, playing on muggle swings.

She saw herself performing a difficult spell.

She saw herself being sorted into Gryffindor.

She saw herself meeting Lily for the first time.

She saw Harry again, teaching her how to fly on a broomstick.

Suddenly, the images vanished and she saw a golden letters appearing on the box.

_I hope that someday, when you open this box, you will see me in it. I love you, Lily. Never forget me._

Jane snapped out of her daze and understood; The box showed the person who opens it all of the memories that mean the most to that person. Jane placed everything back in the shoebox and stuffed it under Lily's bed and sat on the ground crying. Harry was a big part of Jane's life, especially through hard times. Jane's dad was abusive ever since he lost his wife. Suddenly, Harry had enough and he left, leaving a note to Jane:  
  
_Dear Jane (and Emma if your reading this),  
  
You have been a great sister to me, and I know how disappointed you'll be after I'm gone. But you have to understand that I can't live with my father, and I'm very sorry at leaving you and Emma alone to deal with him. You mean so much to me, and I want you to get away from our father when the opportunity comes. He's dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt. I'm going very far away, and we probably won't see eachother again. I know that you would have wanted to say good-bye, but I couldn't wait to leave any longer. Jane, you were my best friend, and I'll never forget you.  
  
Love Always,  
Harry  
  
P.S: Don't try writing to me, where I'm going will be impossible to find for owls. I'm sorry.  
_  
Lily woke up from the sound of Jane's sobs and looked around until her eyes fell upon Jane. "Jane? What happened?" Lily asked quietly and sat down next to Jane. "Harry..." Jane managed to choke out and Lily understood. "It's okay, Jane. Don't think about him, I'm sure that..." Lily's eyes fell on the tiny wooden box James gave her.

"Where did you find that?" Lily asked quietly. Jane looked at the box and cursed herself for forgetting to put it with the letters. "I..." Jane began put Lily pulled out the old shoebox and immediatly noticed that nothing was where she left it before. "Jane...why did you look through this?" Lily asked quietly. "Because I'ma nosy, selfish, obnoxious..."

"Just don't tell anyone about it." Lily said and sighed. "So...you're not mad at me?" Lily shook her head, "I'm just disappointed in you, that's all. I'm hungry, let's go eat." Lily said. Jane nodded and stood up. Lily could always make people feel quilty. It was almost a talent. Jane sighed, "I'm sorry, Lily." Jane said, feeling so regretful, embarassed, and guilty. Lily turned to face Jane, "It's fine, Jane. Just...learn to respect people's privacy. Are you hungry or what? Let's eat!" Lily said and ran down the stairs.

Lily's happy attitude helped ease Jane's guilt, and Jane ran down the stairs, eager to see Lily's blender.  
  
A/N: I hope you like it! Review review review!


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